Slidable Button Cover for a Shirt

ABSTRACT

This invention relates to a slidable button cover that can be attached to a cuff button and/or a shirt button on a shirt of a type comprising a cuff button and/or a shirt button. More specifically, this invention relates to a slidable button cover that can be attached on a shirt of a type comprising a cuff, a shirt, a cuff and/or shirt button and a cuff and/or shirt button hole, said cuff and/or shirt button securely engaging said cuff and/or shirt button, and a slidable button cover with a decorative face on the top of said slidable button cover with an attaching means on the bottom of said slidable button cover capable of sliding over and engaging said cuff and/or shirt button thread, said cuff and/or shirt button resting securely within the attaching means and beneath the bottom of the slidable button cover.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

None.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates to a slidable button cover that can be attached on a shirt of a type comprising a shirt, a cuff button and/or a shirt button, said cuff button and/or shirt button securely engaging a cuff button hole and/or shirt button hole, and a slidable button cover with a decorative face on the top of said slidable button cover with an attaching means on the bottom of said slidable button cover capable of sliding over and engaging said cuff button and/or shirt button thread by force of friction.

SUMMARY

The prior art consists of cufflinks which are insertable into holes provided for a cuff button and/or a shirt button on a shirt leaving the existing shirt buttons unused and not engaged through the cuff button and/or shirt button holes. As discussed in prior applications involving cufflink, cufflinks are generally known to comprise a decorative member and a link member integrally formed as a protrusion from the former, and said link member has an engagement piece which can be alternatively disposed in two positions i.e. it may elongate in the axial direction and at a right angle to the longitudinal axis of the shank of the link. In such operation, prior art cufflinks are secured through the two button holes of the shirt.

This invention overcomes these prior art limitations and provides a button cover comprising a top decorative portion, and a bottom portion with an attaching means capable of securing said cufflink to a cuff button and/or a shirt button on a casual (or dress) shirt, said attaching means engaging said cuff button and/or a shirt button thereby causing the button cover to stay in a position as inserted over said cuff button and/or a shirt button on a casual shirt. Such cuff button and/or a shirt button engaged through the shirt hole prior to engaging the button cover of the present invention (i.e. the shirt is worn as usual and customary with existing shirt buttons already securing the shirt). The attaching means can be a bracketed-shaped member for placing between the shirt button and shirt button thread a recess for receiving and engaging a shirt button and thread by way of the force of friction. Unlike the present invention, the prior art most often requires a shirt of a type comprising a cuff, a cuff button and a cuff button hole, such hole securely engaging said cuff button. No holes are required for the present invention to operate as a button cover or simulated cufflink.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,539,731, filed by Torrini (the “'731 patent”), teaches generally a button-cover without requiring the characteristic pair of buttonholes necessary when using usual and customary cuff-links; however, the '713 patent is in inapposite to the present invention in that the present invention requires no hinged axis between an upper and lower hosing for a shirt button or cuff button and, further, no cover portion upon in which a hinged axis cover engages a lower or separate portion of a button cover housing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a longitudinal cross section of a first embodiment of this invention, along with a decorative member containing a stone.

FIG. 2 shows an embodiment of this invention engaged with a shirt cuff button, along with a plain decorative member without stones;

FIG. 3 shows an embodiment of this invention just prior to and after being engaged with a shirt button.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

This invention will be better understood with the reference to the drawing figures FIG. 1 through FIG. 3. The same numerals and letters refer to the same elements in all drawing figures.

In order to use the slidable button cover of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, said attaching means is placed on top of the shirt button and shirt button thread, causing it to engage by way of force of friction with the button thread and with the shirt button resting within the attaching means, such the complementary portions of said attaching means collapsing to securely engage the button thread by force of friction. The slidable button cover is removed by reversing the direction of the force of friction by the wearer (e.g. the slidable button cover is removed by reversing the direction of the slide to disengage from said cuff button and/or a shirt button.) The embodiment shown in FIG. 3 shows the slidable button cover just prior to and just after engagement of the shirt button. No shirt hole is required to engage the slidable button cover, and, if desired, the slidable button cover can simulate a cufflink.

It should be noted that an item of personal adornment, a number of decorative members, such as precious stones and the like, can be disposed anywhere on the top portion of the slidable button cover as shown in FIG. 1. The material used in forming the present invention can be silver, gold, stainless steel, platinum, aluminum or other previous and/or non-precious metals typically used in creating buttons, including plastic. The decorative members can be cubic zirconium, precious stones, semi precious stones, diamonds, crystals, enamels and even plain metal covers such as aluminum, copper, nickel, platinum or steel. The present invention will be made in different dimensions and sizes based on individual design preferences, but will most optimally range in width, length and height from between ½ inch to 1 inch. The average width of the present invention can be between ¼ inch to 1½ inches, a length of between ¼ inch to 1½ inches and a height of a length of between ½ inch to 1½ inches. FIG. 2 shows the present invention securely engaging a shirt button.

While the present invention has been described and defined by reference to the preferred embodiment of the invention, such reference does not imply a limitation on the invention, and no such limitation is to be inferred. The invention is capable of considerable modification, alteration, and equivalents in form and function, as will occur to those ordinarily skilled and knowledgeable in the pertinent arts. The depicted and described preferred embodiment of the invention is exemplary only, and is not exhaustive of the scope of the invention. Consequently, the invention is intended to be limited only by the spirit and scope of the appended claims, giving full cognizance to equivalents in all respects.

Thus, it is intended that the following claims be interpreted to embrace all such further modifications, changes, rearrangements, substitutions, alternatives, design choices, and embodiments. 

1. A slidable button cover for a shirt of a type comprising a shirt and a shirt button, comprising: (a) a top portion of said slidable button cover; (b) a bottom portion of said slidable button cover; (c) an attachment means disposed on said bottom portion for attachment to said shirt button; said attaching means providing a passage for the button thread when accommodating said shirt button therebetween; said attaching means being securely fastened to the bottom portion of said slidable button cover.
 2. A slidable button cover for a shirt as in claim 1, wherein said attachment means is a bracketed-shaped member formed by two complementary portions, said complementary portions adjacent to each other and forming an expandable narrow channel for receiving said shirt button thread thereby allowing passage of said shirt button and said shirt button thread by sliding said slidable button cover between said shirt button and said shirt button thread, said shirt button resting within the bracketed shaped member beneath the bottom portion of said slidable button cover, and said shirt button further secured by the collapsing of said expandable narrow channel upon passage of said shirt button thread.
 3. A slidable cufflink for a shirt as in claim 1, wherein said top portion of said slidable cufflink comprise a means to cause said shirt button to simulate a cufflink. 